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Arsenal goalkeeper Matt Turner believes he and the USA missed out on their opportunity to do better in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The Stars and Stripes exited the tournament in the Round of 16 stage after suffering a 3-1 defeat against the Netherlands on December 3. Despite impressing in the group stages, where they conceded just one goal, Turner and Co. fell short against a quality Dutch outfit.
The USA No. 1 reflected on the defeat during an appearance on Fox Sports' "World Cup Live" program. Turner indicated that there were moments where he could have done better and said (as quoted by Fox Sports):
"As a goalkeeper, you look back and think, ‘Could I have [pointed the] guys in directions a little bit more?’ In stoppage time in the first half, could I have switched the guys on, so we didn’t concede from a throw-in?"
Greg Berhalter's men allowed the Netherlands to score just 10 minutes into the contest as Memphis Depay swept home from Denzel Dumfries' cross. Dumfries was the provider again in first-half injury-time, with Daley Blind putting his team 2-0 up before the break.
Turner added about his side's FIFA World Cup exit:
"Little things that we did really well in the group stage that maybe the emotion of the game got to us, and we all went into a little bit of a shell.
"It’s frustrating, we definitely feel like we left something on the table, but you also have to give credit where credit is due. They have some great players, and they made us pay for our small mistakes."
The USA fought their way back into the game in the second half as Haji Wright halved the deficit in the 76th minute. However, Dumfries scored with a volleyed finish just five minutes later to put their hopes to bed.
Proud but also disappointed: Matt Turner's final thoughts on USA's FIFA World Cup campaign
Having failed to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the USA won seven and drew three of their 14 CONCACAF qualifiers to return to the tournament. They impressively held England and Wales to draws in Group B before beating Iran 1-0 to make it into the knockouts.
Matt Turner, who started all four games, believes the Stars and Stripes have positives to take from the tournament. However, he also feels they could have achieved more and said (as quoted by Fox Sports):
"I think we gained a lot. Belief back home and belief within ourselves that we could compete with some of the elite teams around soccer in the world.
"Overall, we’re proud of what we put forth, but we’re also disappointed and that’s also a good feeling to have — that disappointment; not feeling like what we achieved is enough."
The USA will host the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Mexico and Canada, which has ensured their presence at the tournament four years from now. Turner and his teammates will hope to use their experiences in Qatar to do even better at home in 2026.
